Only electronic submissions are accepted. Use the author submissions link to submit manuscripts for review.

PHILOSOPHY OF THE JOURNAL.

The American Journal Health Behavior™ (ISSN 1087-3244) is the official journal of the American Academy of Health Behavior™ (http://www.aahb.org/).  The Journal seeks to improve the approach of health education, health promotion, and other multidisciplinary health efforts by fostering a better understanding of the multidimensional nature of both individuals and social systems as they relate to health behaviors.

JOURNAL OBJECTIVES. 

To provide a comprehensive understanding of the impact of personal attributes, personality characteristics, behavior patterns, social structure, and processes on health maintenance, health restoration, and health improvement; to disseminate knowledge of holistic, multidisciplinary approaches to designing and implementing effective health programs; and to showcase health behavior analysis skills that have been proven to affect health improvement and recovery.

MANUSCRIPTS.

Manuscripts are accepted with the understanding that they are submitted solely to the Journal and have not been previously published.  All pages should be numbered, including the title page.  Manuscripts should be stapled.  The format should be as follows: title page, abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, acknowledgments, references, tables (each on a separate page), figure legends, and figures (each on a separate sheet).  Use Arabic numerals.

TITLE PAGE. 

The title page should carry (a) the title of the article, which should be concise but informative (do not exceed 75 characters including spaces); (b) sources of support in the form of grants, equipment, or drugs; and (c) disclaimers, if any, including notices of the manuscript’s prior appearance as a preliminary report or abstract.

ABSTRACT. 

The abstract should not exceed 100 words (Objectives, Methods, Results, Conclusions).  The abstract should state the purposes of the study or investigation, basic procedures, main findings, and the principal conclusions.  It should emphasize new and important aspects of the study or observations.

KEY WORDS. 

Place no more than 5 key words or short phrases that will assist in cross-indexing directly after the abstract.

LENGTH. 

Should not exceed 4500 words (approximately 16 typed double-spaced pages) excluding the title page, abstract, references, tables, and/or figures.  Letters to the Editor should not exceed 400 words and 12 references.

REFERENCES. 

References should be numbered consecutively in the order in which they are first mentioned in the text.  No reference should be given more than one number.  There should be no more than 50 references.  Identify references in text by superscript Arabic numerals.  Avoid using abstracts as references.  References to papers accepted but not yet published should be designated as “in press”; authors should obtain written permission to cite such papers as well as verification that they have been accepted for publication.  Information from manuscripts submitted but not accepted is not acceptable.  Avoid citing a personal communication unless it provides essential information not available from a public source, in which case the name of the person and date of communication should be cited in parentheses in the text.  Authors should obtain written permission and confirmation of accuracy from the source.

Use the style of the examples below.  In all cases, list the first 3 authors and/or editors, followed by “et al.”  The titles of journals should be abbreviated according to the style used in Index Medicus.  A period should follow each journal listing and do not italicize book titles. A list of these abbreviations can be obtained from the Medline’s Web site (www.nlm.nih.gov/tsd/serials/lji.html).  If a journal title does not appear in Index Medicus, the full title should be used.  Do not make up journal abbreviations.  For secondary sources, direct quotations, and citations from books or reports, give specific page numbers.  Remember, cite personal communications in text only, giving the source and date. If E-mail: provide sender’s address.  Specifically, references should be listed in the following manner:

Journal Publications of 3 or fewer authors

Beck KH, Shatttuck T, Raleigh R.  A comparison of teen perceptions and parental reports of influence on driving risk.  Am J Health Behav.  2001;25(4):376-387.

Journal Publication of 4 or more authors

Valois RF, Zullig KJ, Huebner ES, et al.  Relationship between life satisfaction and violent behaviors among adolescents.  Am J Health Behav. 2001;25(4):353-366.

Books

Davidson JK, Moore NB.  Marriage and Family: Change and Continuity.  Boston: Allyn & Bacon 1996:129-145. 

Quoted Chapter in Books

Prochaska JO, Redding CA, Evers KE. The transtheoretical model and stages of change.  In Glanz K, Lewis FM, Rimer BK, (Eds). Health Behavior and Health Education: Theory, Research, and Practice.  San Francisco: Jossey-Bass 1977:60-84.

Reports

Behavioral Risk Factor Survey 1995.  A Report on the Lifestyle Behaviors Affecting the Health of West Virginians.  WV Bureau for Public Health 1997:45-51.

Web Page

Partnership for a Drug-Free America.  The boomer-rang: baby boomers seriously underestimate presence of drugs in their children’s lives (on-line).  Available at: http://www.drugfreeamerican.org/.  Accessed July 13, 2000.

FIGURES. 

Number figures consecutively in the order of their first citation in the text.  Figures should be black-and-white no larger than 6 x 8 inches.  Letters, numbers, and symbols should be clear and even throughout and of sufficient size that each item will still be legible when reduced for publication.  Titles and detailed explanations belong in the legends for figures, not embedded in the figures themselves.  If a figure has been published, acknowledge the original source and submit written permission from the copyright holder to reproduce the material.  Permission is required irrespective of authorship or publisher, except for documents in the public domain.

TABLES. 

Type or print out each table, double-spaced, on a separate sheet of paper.  Number tables consecutively in the order of their first citation in the text and supply a brief title for each.  Be sure that each table is cited in the text and note where you believe the table should be placed.  Do not use internal horizontal and vertical rules.  Place explanatory matter in footnotes, not in the heading.  Explain in footnotes all abbreviations used in each table.  For footnotes, use the following lower case letters, in the alphabetical sequence:  a, b, c, d, e, f, etc.  If you use data from another published or unpublished source, obtain permission and acknowledge it fully.

PERMISSIONS. 

It is the responsibility of the author or authors to obtain the necessary permission to use any quoted material in excess of 25 lines that is incorporated in the manuscript.  Permission must be obtained, and credit given, for quotations, tables, and illustrations borrowed from copyright material.  Letters granting permission should accompany the manuscript when submitted.

ABBREVIATIONS AND NOMENCLATURE. 

Abbreviations and nomenclature should conform to the American Medical Association Manual of Style, 9^th ed.  Abbreviations should be kept to a minimum in the text and should be defined at first usage.  Periods are not used after abbreviations (eg, mm, mL).  Generic names are preferred for drugs.

REVIEW PROCESS. 

To decrease bias during the editorial process, we employ the classic double-blind peer review process.  Referees selected are professional scholars in the disciplines of health behavior, education, and promotion; public health; sociology; nursing; medicine; psychology; or dentistry.

• Upon receipt, a manuscript is assigned a reference number.
• A copy of the numbered manuscript is electronically sent to 3 referees.  Referees are selected from the Editorial Board or Review Board to match the manuscript with the referee’s area of expertise.
• Referees evaluate the manuscript according to established criteria on an evaluation form.
• The Editor-in-Chief transmits reviewer evaluations and comments to the corresponding author within 2 - 4 weeks.  The Journal has an acceptance rate of approximately 19%. 

Final disposition of the manuscript rests with the Editor-in-Chief. 

FEES.

Fee information can be obtained by clicking here.

If additional questions arise, feel free to contact the Journal offices at: 304-594-0570, FAX 304-594-0570, pglover2@umd.edu  or the Editor at 301-405-2029, eglover1@umd.edu.
 

COPYRIGHT AGREEMENT.

Copyright information can be obtained by clicking here.

If additional questions arise, feel free to contact the Journal offices at: 304-594-0570, FAX 304-594-0570, pglover2@umd.edu  or the Editor at 301-405-2029, eglover1@umd.edu.

COPIES AND REPRINTS. 

Any reprints requests should be sent to:

PNG Publications
PO Box 4593
Morgantown, WV 26504
Fax 304-594-0570
Phone 304-594-0570
pglover2@umd.edu 

CHECKLIST.